"Obviously, there were a bazillion other storylines, but I felt like it would have been a real shame for the fans and for the show not to wrap that up."

Of course, Dobrev has played a dual role through the history of The Vampire Diaries and she'll also be reprising Elena's vampire doppelganger Katherine Pierce in the finale.

"Katherine is a disaster!" said Somerhalder. "There's nothing good about that, for anyone."

Wesley added: "She's fun, though. She causes a lot of trouble. It's just great to have old characters back."

Speaking to Digital Spylast year, The Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec revealed that she has two different endings in mind for the series – depending on whether or not Dobrev reprised her role as Elena.

"I do have an ending without Elena," Plec said back in November. "But I hope I don't have to use it."

Happily, she didn't, with Dobrev confirming her return to the show in January. But will Elena make it all the way to the end? Wesley's already hinted a major death in tonight's finale... *gulp*

The Vampire Diaries returns to ITV2 in the UK next Tuesday (March 14) at 11.55pm.